10 Reasons to Attend VMworld 2019

Did you hear? VMworld 2019 is moving... For the last couple of years, the event has taken place in Las Vegas. But now that the Moscone Center is finished with its renovation work, VMware is moving VMworld back to the city of San Francisco for 2019.

The event takes place August 25th to the 29th, which might seem far off into the future; but honestly, it is right around the corner. And creeping up on us each and every day.

If you haven't already started your planning efforts, consider yourself behind! You've missed the early bird registration which ended June 21st. And you've missed out on some of the closer in hotels (in relation to the Moscone Center) which have already been booked up. But, don't let those things discourage you. If you act soon, there's still plenty of time to get registered, scheduled, and be ready to go!

Still not sure if you're going to attend this year or not? Well, here's 10 reasons why you should go to VMworld 2019.

1. Be in the know! Sure, in this day and age, you can learn a lot from your couch at home, but there's nothing like being exposed to first hand information on site, live. Be in attendance to hear from VMware executives during the keynote sessions to find out what's coming next! Information will be flowing as it always does.

2. Education. Want to learn more and keep up with what's going on? VMworld has more than 700 sessions, hands on labs, workshops, panel discussions, VMTN TechTalks and more. Here's your opportunity to really dig in to the things that matter most to you. Check out the agenda and schedule, and get these things on your TODO list once you've registered. There's a lot to learn, and a lot going on at these events. So make sure to schedule the most important things to you personally, that you believe will help your career.

3. Ecosystem. Want to learn more about the products, companies and technologies that play in the VMware ecosystem? Here's your chance to do so in one captured environment. The VMworld Solutions Exchange will have hundreds of vendors on site, ready, willing and able to talk to you about their wares. Find out what new things will work for you and your organization. Talk to company experts one on one. Get a live demo. Take back printed materials. Setup a follow up meeting with sales to speak with your management team. Yes, these booths are where the freebies or giveaways take place, but they are so much more than that. Make the most of visiting a booth by asking questions and talking to someone. These one on one conversations often provide some of the best takeaways.

4. Certification. Build your skills and expertise with VMware certifications for career advancement. As you register for VMworld, it’s easy to add discounted VMware Training and Certification to your cart. You can get: 25% off select On Demand courses, 50% off a VMware Learning Zone (24/7 training hub) Premium Subscription, 50% off VMware Certified Professional (VCP) and VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP) certification exams taken at VMworld.

5. Networking. Catch up with colleagues, meet new friends, and explore ideas with thousands of fellow attendees. Connect and collaborate with 21,000+ attendees, 500+ companies, and 230 sponsors and exhibitors, from 86 countries. Here's your chance to meet like minded individuals with the same technology passions as you. And meet up with folks you only know by their Twitter handle.

6. Expert Answers. Make sure to check out Meet the Experts to find answers to those hard to solve problems. Got a problem you've been trying to solve? Looking to advance your environment, but aren't sure where to begin? Make an appointment to speak with the experts at VMworld and ask about certain problems, issues, design or product questions you might have. And go back to work looking like a champ!

7. Hands-on. We talked about educating yourself. But one of the areas that deserves a special call out is the Hands on Labs (HOL). Hearing and watching is one thing. But actually rolling up your sleeves and touching the environment is a completely different thing. Whether self-guided or instructor driven, these hands on lab environments are the way to go at VMworld. Warning: Because of their popularity and limited number of seats, these things fill up extremely quickly. So the sooner you register and attempt to sign up, the better the odds that you'll get in.

8. Hackathon. There's a special event that takes place each year within VMworld called The VMware {code} Hackathon! Full of friends, food, code, and beer, it's a night that promises a whole lot of fun! Ranging from Blockchain, to Python, to Powershell, the possibilities for projects are endless! You can sign up with an existing team as an individual, or if you have a group you can sign up as a new team.

9. Career. Looking for a new job or career opportunity? If this is your field of expertise, there is no better place to network and explore for that next adventure. If you want to move over into a new area of focus or you've been trying to engage with a company about an opening, or you're interested to see who might have the next big thing... this is a great place to look.

10. Fun. VMworld has a fantastic close out party every year. But, that isn't the only time to have a good time. Relax and let loose with games, recreation events, sponsored get-togethers, and vendor sponsored parties and events. There are always a host of activities and events taking place throughout the entire event where you can unplug and unwind. If you can't find something fun to do, just try opening your eyes or ask around.

There's so many more reasons to attend VMworld, but this should give you a sense of why you shouldn't be missing out on this experience. There's so much to see and do, to the point that it's impossible to do them all. At the end of the event, you'll wonder how it wrapped up so quickly and you'll tell yourself, the show needs another 24 hours next year (which we never get).

Know in advance, you won't get to do or see everything that you wanted to. But, you're still going to have a great time and come out of it more knowledgeable and connected than you went in.

David Marshall has been involved in the technology industry for over 19 years, and he's been working with virtualization software since 1999. He was able to become an industry expert in virtualization by becoming a pioneer in that field - one of the few people in the industry allowed to work with Alpha stage server virtualization software from industry leaders: VMware (ESX Server), Connectix and Microsoft (Virtual Server).

Through the years, he has invented, marketed and helped launch a number of successful virtualization software companies and products. David holds a BS degree in Finance, an Information Technology Certification, and a number of vendor certifications from Microsoft, CompTia and others. He's also co-authored two published books: "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center" and "Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platforms in the Virtual Data Center" and acted as technical editor for two popular Virtualization "For Dummies" books. With his remaining spare time, David founded and operates one of the oldest independent virtualization news blogs, VMblog.com. And co-founded CloudCow.com, a publication dedicated to Cloud Computing. Starting in 2009 and continuing all the way to 2016, David has been honored with the vExpert distinction by VMware for his virtualization evangelism.

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vmworld through the years | Infographic

VMworld is the premiere virtualization and cloud computing event held every year by VMware going back to 2004 when it kicked things off in San Diego. This year, the show returns to San Francisco after a three year run in Las Vegas.

Come along as VMblog takes you on a tour of VMworld through the years, rock and roll style. View the City and Attendance play bill. View the VMworld Set List. Find out how many Keynotes were hosted by which CEO. What about the bands who have played over the years? Check out the key updates made during each VMworld event and the tag lines used over the years. And find out which vendors you should be adding to your must see list at VMworld 2019.

If you enjoy our Infographic as much as we do, please consider sharing it via Social Media or by embedding it on your blog (using the embed code below and linking back to us).